Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1887-04-29


into the next. The rift or passage
way was about ten feet long, and
there was almost enough draught
here to extInguish my torch. The
temperature of the cave stood about
fifty degrees. while that of the sum-
mer day outside was fully eighty
FIVE.
81 found the second chamber to be
an almost square room, measuring,
| should think, 16x24. The floor
was not so even as that of the 9th
er, nor was the roof as high. The |
draught came ont of rift or blow
hole in the roof, but could not
locate the exact spot. / had scarce
ly entered the place before | knew
that an important discovery was
on the tapis. There was a bundle
of clothes against the rocky side,
and two guns, which | afterward
| found to be shotguns of ancient
make, leaned against the side. |
approached the heap of stuff and
began tearing it to pieces with my
foot. The articles we're better pre-
served than in the other room, prob
ably because the room was drier,
and because they were directly in
the draught of pure air. One of
the first things l kicked aside was
small leather trunk, provided
with handles like valise, and used
like a vallse. 1t was of English
make, and while it must haye been
many years old before it saw the
cave, and had probably been there
for several years, the leather was
still in good condition and the lock
all right. There we're in addition
to the satchel two iron kettles, some
tin and crockery dishes, some rough
cutlery, two or three blankets and
some bedquilts, a sharp and rusty
butcberknife, uitofrough clothes,
a coarse pair OF shoes, evidently
worn by female, and a small wood
en- box, in which I found buttons OF
various sizes and needles and
thread. That two or three persons
had occupied the cave in company,
and that one of them was woman,
there could be no room for doubt.
| "The trunk was the only thing
likely to contain any object Of value,
| and | carried it ont through both
caves to daylight. Its weight led
me to believe that it was full OF
l dishes or cutlery, and before | could
: break the lock and get sight of the
contents | became so nervous that
: | was all in q tremble. 1t was a
minute or two before | dared in
spect the contents. Then tool
out several towels, two white shirts
two or three fine handkerchiefs
and then came to two buckskln
: bags, which | knew contained
i money. One was much the larger
u and this | opened first and found i
. con ntained silver coins, most OF then
dollars and halves of American
! coinage, though there we're perhaps
0 fifty Mexican pieces. The othei
y contained gold pieces, the demon
Il nations running up to twentle
o and down TO flves. There was al
L together $7,963.50. When | go
d over my excitement l went bacl
and carefully examined everything
hoping to get some clue to the peo
IL pie who had occupied the cave, bu
; found nothing whatever to give M
J information. / could reason tha
g. the people had fed from tbel
IL homes, taking all their wealth, bu
"a how many there were or what bt
J. came of them were questions no on
10 could answer. The money was no
u mine if the rightul owners wer
'r alive, but I spent six weeks max
~ ing inquiries, and learned nothing
y then invested the money in land'
which I own to-day, and althoug
am no longer a hermit and cav
III dweller, the title of Treasure HUI
'u ter still sticks to me, and many r.
'u gard me as a wizard"